For those who have ever downloaded or uploaded movies, TV shows and music to the internet for free - you might want to stop. A leaked version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal means rights holders, like Hollywood Studios, could soon be able to sue you for a lot of money. Internet service providers (ISPs) would be required to hand over the details of illegal downloaders to the rights holders and will also be forced to keep track of persistent pirates and dob them in.
dallasbuyersclub.jpg The makers of the Oscar award-winning film Dallas Buyers Club took Australian ISPs iiNet, Dodo, Internode, Amnet Broadband, Adam internet and Wideband Networks to court seeking the names and address of those Australians who allegedly infringed copyright by sharing the film online and were attempting to charge thousands of dollars to each offender. However Federal Court judge Justice Nye Perram refused to order the release of customer’s names and addresses unless they changed their claim and said the company could be entitled to the cost of renting or buying the film for costs associated with finding the name of an alleged downloader. With the new laws, how much you will have to pay depends on the nature of the infringement. The new laws are looking at a three strikes scheme, where users are warned and when they reach the third strike, ISPs are obliged to serve up their customer’s identity to the rights holder.